Back

Alisa A. Looney


Portland, OR
(503) 283-6181
E-mail: alisa@alooney.com




Choosing from Within

on display in
Sioux Falls, SD
SculptureWalk 2011

Mild Steel
3/8" Plate, Fabricated
MIG welded
Powder-coated deep red
78"h x 61"w x 36"d


Artist's Statement

  It is my highest goal to create public sculpture that brings joy, empowerment and connection to communities. I shape and fabricate metal into open, energetic human form, representing movement and the expression of life.

  The flow of this life energy is depicted in my work using curving forms with spiraling cut-outs, creating a dynamic movement within the human body. Carefully designed shapes of metal and the open spaces between them, play against each other to create the form, with stylized details of muscles, spine, ribs and pelvis. Pieces are cut and shaped from sheets of steel, bronze or stainless. Intersecting planes are welded and built from the center out. The open shapes create a lightness in the metal, allowing the form to feel as if it is moving through space freely, unbounded.

  I draw from years of experimental dance and movement, the place where I find my greatest moments of free expression. The spiraling motion reflects the flow of water around rocks and along the banks of the river where I grew up. I see the river as metaphor for the energy I feel in my body, while dancing, flowing from the center, out my limbs. Observing dance, I capture shapes between movements, and spaces between bodies, in gesture drawings and paintings. I transform these images into 3 dimensional designs, which are first made of paper board, then transferred to metal in the fabrication process. I enjoy working with the pliability and strength of metal, cutting and shaping it into permanent forms that will last through time. I work in many sizes, from table top pieces, to life size and larger, creating public sculptures that can be viewed by people from all walks of life. It is my hope to inspire others to be fully self-expressed in their lives.

Artist Bio

  Alisa Looney is a sculptor, dancer, painter and designer. Alisa received her BFA from Boise State University in 1983. She has been a professional designer and fine artist since 1981 and presently owns Vision Design in Portland, OR. At the age of four, Alisa began drawing and building with clay and sand on the banks of the Spokane River, in Northern Idaho. She fell in love with metal arts as a silver smith in her early years and began welding in 1998. With her public sculptures, Alisa has won People’s Choice Purchase Awards in Lake Oswego, OR – Gallery Without Walls in 2006, in Cannon Beach, OR – Sculpture Without Walls in 2009, and in Puyallup, WA – Arts Downtown in 2010. Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, WA acquired one of her outdoor sculptures for their permanent collection in 2008. She is a member of the Pacific NW Sculptors and leads a group in RADIX, Circle of Women in the Arts. Alisa resides in Portland, OR, with her husband, artist Wade Womack and their son Finn.

Roll & Play

Maryhill Museum of Art, Permanent Collection


Mild Steel
3/8” plate, Flame cut, Fabricated, MIG welded, Powder-coated bright cadmium yellow/orange
36"h x 75"w x 22"d


Heart Connection

City of Puyallup, WA permanent collection,
Arts Downtown - 2010 Community Favorite
Winner

Mild Steel
3/8” Plate, Powder-coated crimson-red
72"h x 61"w x 22"d (base 43" x 23")


Contact 1 (bench)

City of Cannon Beach permanent collection,
People's Choice Winner 2009

Recycled Steel
1/4" plate (3/8" seat) flame cut, welded, Powder-coated Orange
47"h x 72.5"w x 35"d



Love - (women empowered series)

Mild Steel
Powder-coated bright yellow
22"h x 10"w x 8"d


Contact No. 2 (bench)

on display in Everett, WA - Arts Downtown


Recycled Steel
1/4" plate (3/8” seat), Flame cut, welded, Powder-coated yellow
47"h x 72.5"w x 35"d



Going for your Vision

Lake Oswego permanent collection, 2006 People's Choice Winner


Mild Steel, 1/4" Plate
Fabricated, welded, powder-coated red
75" x 44.3" x 68.2"


Circle Dance - Life Size
(currently in process)


Mild Steel
1/4” Plate, Flame cut, Fabricated, MIG welded
72" h x 90" w x 93" d (estimated final size)



Circle Dance – Maquette
(Model for life size public piece - see process photo on left)

Mild Steel
Plasma cut, Fabricated, TIG welded
15"h x 18"w x 19"d (Model for life size public piece)


Choosing from Within - Maquette

Painted Steel
Model for a larger public piece
9.5"h x 8"w x 4.5"d


Core Energy

Mild Steel & Cast Glass
Collaboration by Alisa Looney & Teresa Krage
24"h x 13"w x 6.5"d

Relaxed Effort

Stainless Steel (recycled)
Plasma cut, tig welded
4.5"h x 24"w x 8"d


Choosing Wisely

Mild Steel, wire, shell, glass
9.5"h x 8"w x 4.5"d



Centering

Stainless steel, sterling silver and glass
Plasma cut, tig welded
12.5" h x 10.25" x 4" d



Leading from the Heart

Silicon Bronze, sterling silver and glass
Plasma cut, Tig welded, soldered, waxed
22" h x 12" w x 4.5" d, wall piece


Love Lit-Up

Mild Steel, copper, glass
Plasma cut, tig welded, waxed
12.25"h x 10.75 "w x 2.57"d



Support with Joy

Silicon Bronze Sheet Metal
Plasma cut, fabricated, TIG welded, ferric nitrate patina
Life Size: 59" x 40" x 30.5"

Moving with Intention I

Mild Steel
Cut and Fabricated with Gas Welder
Life Size: 25.5" x 45.5" x 27.5"


Moving with Intention II

Stainless Steel (Recycled)
Plasma cut, Fabricated, TIG welded
18.75" x 23.5" x 14.5"


Mother and Child

Fabricated Bronze, with Patina, silver wire and sea shells
6" x 4.5" x 3"



Stillness of the Dance

Mild Steel
Cut and fabricated with gas welder
Life Size: 61.75" x 19" x 20"

The Occupied Recliner

Mild Steel
Cut and fabricated with gas welder
28" x 44.5" x 22"



<

Women Empowered Maquettes, 1, 2 & 3(Strength, Joy, Love)

Mild Steel
Plasma cut, tig welded, waxed
1. 13.75"h x 4.25"w x 4"d
2. 12"h x 7.5"w x 4"d
3. 11"h x 5"w x 4"d


Heart Connection – Maquette

Mild Steel
Plasma cut, tig welded, waxed
12"h x 10"w x 2.75"d

Gently Holding - Table

Mild Steel
17.25"h x 28"w x 17"d


Pacific Northwest Sculptors  4110 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. #302,   Portland, OR 97214